Ramsey County History – Summer 2018: “‘Dr. Nellie:’ One Physician’s Experience at the Front in the Great War”

“Dr. Nellie:” One Physician’s Experience at the Front in the Great War
Author: Johannes R. Allert

Nellie N. Barsness (1873–1966) was the first woman from the State of Minnesota to graduate from the University of Minnesota’s medical school (1902). She then set up her practice in St. Paul. After the United States declared war on Germany, Dr. Barsness sought to join the army’s Medical Reserve Corps or the American Red Cross. Neither organization would take female doctors; consequently, in September 1918, she volunteered for service in the French Army via the Women’s Overseas Hospital USA. She soon found herself treating patients of all kinds on the Western Front, many of whom were suffering from the effects of gas warfare. Following the armistice in November, Dr. Barsness helped treat ailing patients in Nancy and Rheims. In September 1919, Dr. Barsness returned to St. Paul, resumed her medical practice, and was active in the community. Today, her unselfish service is honored at the university with a medical scholarship for women.
PDF of Allert article